Beware of Golden Princess - Poor dining service

[ginagirl]

DH and I, and our children, have been cruising since 1978 on many, many lines; and several years ago, we decided to try the "Luxury Lines" because we were starting to see some of our favorite lines slipping in some areas. All I can say is some of those 'Luxury" cruises don't always deliver the premium quality they advertise and charge for. Frequently, we have had just as wonderful cuisine and service on Princess and Celebrity for considerably less than what it cost on the Luxury Lines. Of course, this is not all the time, every time; but neither is it that way on the Luxury cruises. To be a happy traveller, one needs to roll with some of the punches that crop up now and then.:rolleyes:

[sonomaphil]

I was on Golden Princess last September and last December. Had the best food and service on any of my cruises.

[2Oregonians]

And since you asked....yes, we knew about the long wait times in the Traditional Dining room because we met 2 couples on the Sun Deck who were disappointed with the traditional dining service too. They said it was like the Waiter disappeared from the floor for 10 - 15 minutes until he'd reappear with the food. From what I've read, I'm guessing the Waiter was running to the bar to pick-up drinks since Princess has eliminated their wine stewards (again, just based on what I've read about Princess today.) We had 3 meals where we endured 45-minute waits (no reservation) for Anytime Dining. Yes, we were willing to sit with others but since we're a party of six we didn't want to be split from our group. Maybe that contributed to the long wait. And yes, we could have called for reservations but what's the point of Anytime Dining then? We wanted to come to the dining room when we were ready, whenever that was. I don't mind waiting 20 - 30 minutes for a table, but anything beyond that on a big ship with 2 banquet sized dining rooms is unacceptable to me. One night which was particularly busy in the Donatello dining room at 7pm, we were asked if we could come back at 9pm for dinner! Can you imagine? That was the night some another Princess passenger (older couple who loved Princess!) apologized to us for the terrible dining service, they said they were honestly embarrassed for Princess....especially since I made it known this was my first (and last) Princess cruise.

 

Ok, point taken, but the bigger point here is this -- you can see from all the positive feedback and the poll results that Princess does a great job MOST of the time. Perhaps there were circumstances working against you the week you cruised. Who knows why events fell as they did for you. But I still say don't use that as a reason not to sail with Princess ever again. You never said how all the numerous other things were for you such as your cabin, your balcony if you had one, your room steward, the entertainment, the pool, spa, and workout areas, the excursions, getting you on and off the ship efficiently, etc. etc.

[Moondance30]

Been following thread and am kinda amused.

Leaving on Golden Saturday - Can't wait. This is our 6th Princess Cruise and still cannot complain - but maybe after this cruise... Of course I am are only reading one side of the story (along with he said, she said) - maybe there a hidden agenda buried in all of the mess but for the life of me can't figure out what?

 

Thanks for the amusement ;) , I mean the warning :mad: !!

 

You know, I did have to wait in line to get a Hot Dog at the cafe - ah, doesn't count

[CrusinAgain]

I guess I'm not your typical Princess customer. I expect the best all the time, and a little blip is not acceptable -- not when I only get 3 weeks of vacation a year and vacation time is so precious. I guess for frequent cruisers, you're okay with service that's normally outstanding but sometimes not. I don't always take cruise vacations, so that's why I haven't posted in awhile. I've got property on Kauai, HI and we frequently vacation there. Also, I work for a large technology company so I get lots of travel tips there. My co-workers have recommended Regent Cruise Lines for truly outstanding (and luxury) cruising. I'm told Regent is better than all the other cruise lines combined (including my beloved RCC.) So I'll see you on the Regent boards....or maybe not....if you're a devoted Princess fan. Unfortunately, I won't be getting any $399/per person Princess specials on Regent....just check their cabin prices and it's $10k per person and up. You get what you pay for, eh?:rolleyes:

 

I highly doubt they could satisfy me for $9600 more per person. I would definitely expect alot for that type of money and you cannot compare Regent to Princess. That is like comparing a cheapy car to a luxurious car. Sorry but I don't follow your logic. But have fun and don't forget Seabourne also that would suit your expensive tastes and rip a nice hole in your bank account.

[Toto2Kansas]

You get what you pay for, eh?:rolleyes:

 

That is a perfect statement. If you are looking for some of the best, Regent would be a good place to start. But even then, there will be Blips in the road at times. Nothing is perfect in this world, especially in the area of service, and you just have to realize that and choose what fits your style best.

 

For us, RCI was the pitts in comparison to Princess, so I can't quite understand why they would rank #1 on your list so far with Princess being so terrible.:confused: :confused:

[Ethel5]

I guess I'm not your typical Princess customer. I expect the best all the time, and a little blip is not acceptable --.......... My co-workers have recommended Regent Cruise Lines for truly outstanding (and luxury) cruising.......... I'm told Regent is better than all the other cruise lines combined (including my beloved RCC.) You get what you pay for, eh?:rolleyes:

 

If you expect the best all the time, how did you end up on RCC? At best they are on par with Princess.

 

Anyway, my feeling is that since you will be spending a ton of money on Regent, your expectations will also increase. Best of luck to you! :rolleyes:

[we2cruze]

While I can appreciate that you did not get the service you were expecting on your Princess cruise I do have to wonder why you think that the service is always like that on Princess and why you would not give them another try. Our RCC cruise was a great cruise, but our waitstaff was not very good. They would disappear for long stretches of our dinner, didn't refill our water, and were pretty cranky. Would I cruise RCC again? Yes. I believe that we just had a bad waitstaff and that the service is not always like that. However if your mind is set against Princess then there is no sense in you taking your vacation time to give them another chance. Have fun on your next cruise.

[CrusinAgain]

Been following thread and am kinda amused.

Leaving on Golden Saturday - Can't wait. This is our 6th Princess Cruise and still cannot complain - but maybe after this cruise... Of course I am are only reading one side of the story (along with he said, she said) - maybe there a hidden agenda buried in all of the mess but for the life of me can't figure out what?

 

Thanks for the amusement ;) , I mean the warning :mad: !!

 

You know, I did have to wait in line to get a Hot Dog at the cafe - ah, doesn't count

 

Have a wonderful cruise. If you have read the rest of the recent reviews you know you will be fine. I'm certainly not worried about our upcoming cruise on the Crown next week.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We sailed on the March 29-April 5 sailing on the Golden. While our servers definitely weren't the best we've had, they did pretty well. The assistant was actually pulling the weight of the waitress. She was pretty scatter-brained and "green". With a year or two under her belt, she'll do much better.

 

It seems that a lot of the servers from the former Iron-Curtain countries lack polish and a gentle sophistication. Some of them have a very brusque way of asking for orders. I'm sure it's just something that is lost in translation.

 

If Princess were smart, they'd spend a little more time polishing up their service.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

DBsand wrote.>>>>I expect the best all the time, and a little blip is not acceptable <<<< Gee life is NOT perfect and to expect the best ALL the time, sure makes you open to a lot of disappointments. It is a vacation............RELAX. Sure would hate to be your significant other with that attitude of yours.

[BJS]

I guess I'm not your typical Princess customer. I expect the best all the time, and a little blip is not acceptable -- not when I only get 3 weeks of vacation a year and vacation time is so precious. I guess for frequent cruisers, you're okay with service that's normally outstanding but sometimes not. I don't always take cruise vacations, so that's why I haven't posted in awhile. I've got property on Kauai, HI and we frequently vacation there. Also, I work for a large technology company so I get lots of travel tips there. My co-workers have recommended Regent Cruise Lines for truly outstanding (and luxury) cruising. I'm told Regent is better than all the other cruise lines combined (including my beloved RCC.) So I'll see you on the Regent boards....or maybe not....if you're a devoted Princess fan. Unfortunately, I won't be getting any $399/per person Princess specials on Regent....just check their cabin prices and it's $10k per person and up. You get what you pay for, eh?:rolleyes:

 

I think you solved your problems with Princess. :rolleyes: You do not sound like a person that should have ever booked a Princess cruise to start with and now you know never to do it again.

 

I doubt even at the low $10k pp or the high $$$ you will ever be satisfied with any cruise. People are only human and even the best servers can cause there to be a "blip" in your cruise.

 

I think you have alerted others with the same attitudes that booking a Princess cruise just might not be for them either and for that they will thank you.

 

Your poll results will tell the rest of the world just how many people have not had similar experiences. :)

 

.

[livsea2]

Certain aspects of a Princess cruise are superior to Royal Caribbean and vice versa. The OP is absolutely correct that the SERVICE in the restaurants on Princess ships pales in comparison to RCCL ships. I am convinced that this is due to the automatic tipping. This has been discussed numerous time and no one can convince me otherwise. I have seen it on every Princess cruise I have been on, absolutely lackluster service versus waiters fawning over patrons in the Royal Caribbean eateries. The Princess "zombies" need to try other cruiselines that do not have automatic tipping and see for themselves. A water glass will never go half empty, you will wait no longer than minutes if not seconds between courses, waiters will anticipate every need and fill it before you ask. Dinning service will amaze you. But then again....the princess "zombies" on this board... will never know the difference because Princess is OUR cruise line. Sad but true.

[Ethel5]

.........The Princess "zombies" need to try other cruiselines that do not have automatic tipping and see for themselves. A water glass will never go half empty, you will wait no longer than minutes if not seconds between courses, waiters will anticipate every need and fill it before you ask. Dinning service will amaze you. But then again....the princess "zombies" on this board... will never know the difference because Princess is OUR cruise line. Sad but true.

 

I resent being called a "zombie"!:(

 

I have been on other lines and I happen to like Princess. I LIKE time between courses-that's what makes it a "dining" experience rather than an "eating" experience! My needs have always been met. I'm human and I expect those serving me to be human too.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

I resent being called a "zombie"!:(

 

I have been on other lines and I happen to like Princess. I LIKE time between courses-that's what makes it a "dining" experience rather than an "eating" experience! My needs have always been met. I'm human and I expect those serving me to be human too.

 

This would indicate that you are not, in fact, a zombie. :rolleyes:

 

I agree with this 100%, although Princess usually does a great job human error is inevitable.

[zanoon]

Why was RCI so bad? I'm curious....can you tell me a little about your experience?

[debsand]

The Princess "zombies" need to try other cruiselines that do not have automatic tipping and see for themselves. A water glass will never go half empty, you will wait no longer than minutes if not seconds between courses, waiters will anticipate every need and fill it before you ask. Dinning service will amaze you. But then again....the princess "zombies" on this board... will never know the difference because Princess is OUR cruise line. Sad but true.

 

Thanks for mentioning auto-tipping. That really shocked me on Princess, as I hadn't experienced that on RCCI and Disney cruises. I always enjoy presenting my cabin stewart and dining staff with an enveloipe at the end of the cruise for Excellent service, but that wasn't an option on Princess because the gratuity was automatically added. Yes, I could have slipped them some money with a nice note, but I didn't get Excellent service so there was no need. But my point is, the dining service would most likely improve if the wait staff had to work for the gratuity! Are all you Princess fans okay with the auto-tips?

[livsea2]

I resent being called a "zombie"!:(

 

I have been on other lines and I happen to like Princess. I LIKE time between courses-that's what makes it a "dining" experience rather than an "eating" experience! My needs have always been met. I'm human and I expect those serving me to be human too.

 

You obviously missed the point. Princess doesn't do dining room service well. I believe it is due to automatic tipping. Okay, you like the long wait between courses fine. Do you also like wait staff to ignore your empty water glass? Ignore you empty bread basket? Ignore your empty wine glass? You really want the waiters to act as if you are not even there? Or do do expect and appreciate wait staff to genuinely appreciate you as a guest in their restaurant admitably because your are going to tip them but never the less it is better than the bad service you get because the Princess waiter KNOW they will get paid regardless of servuce levels. Sorry for your resentment but I gotta call as I sees em.

[bdjam]

Certain aspects of a Princess cruise are superior to Royal Caribbean and vice versa. The OP is absolutely correct that the SERVICE in the restaurants on Princess ships pales in comparison to RCCL ships. I am convinced that this is due to the automatic tipping. This has been discussed numerous time and no one can convince me otherwise. I have seen it on every Princess cruise I have been on, absolutely lackluster service versus waiters fawning over patrons in the Royal Caribbean eateries. The Princess "zombies" need to try other cruiselines that do not have automatic tipping and see for themselves. A water glass will never go half empty, you will wait no longer than minutes if not seconds between courses, waiters will anticipate every need and fill it before you ask. Dinning service will amaze you. But then again....the princess "zombies" on this board... will never know the difference because Princess is OUR cruise line. Sad but true.

I really get tired of the argument that because some of us favor Princess, we can’t see where it doesn’t measure up. I believe that this argument is used because the person using it has nothing else to offer up, but no matter, those of us who know Princess well are very familiar with its shortcomings and often say so. But those who would use this argument tend to forget when we contribute less than positive thoughts to this forum.

 

I have sailed Princess both before and after automatic tipping was brought online and I have noticed no difference in the level of service provided. And there shouldn’t be – those who receive the automatic tips are well aware that the passenger has the ability to remove them if they are not satisfied. The automatic tip is no guarantee – and the staff and crew also realize that removal of the tips by passengers is a sign to their managers that their performance isn’t what it should be – which can, if the poor performance and tip removal continues, result in termination. So whether or not you’re convinced, the auto tip doesn’t affect service.

 

Further, since there are many of us who have not experienced lackluster service in the Princess dining room, perhaps it has something to do with the attitude when entering through the doors. If one goes in expecting less than stellar service, it’s a good bet that is what they will get. The RCI wait staff may fawn over it’s zombies and may present “dinning” service that amazes, but some of us don’t like wait staffs that can’t find anything else to do but look over our shoulders. I would prefer unobtrusive service to someone constantly bothering me. I’ve never had issues getting enough water (or wine) at the table from my waiter or assistant waiter. And as Ethel points out, if you look on the dining experience as that – an experience – rather than a trip to a fast food joint, then some time between courses for conversation and appreciation of the food is appropriate.

 

Right – some of us will never know the difference. Some of us already do and that’s why we choose Princess. But in either case, if we’re happy and you’re not, you’re free to board another ship.

[debsand]

Princess doesn't do dining room service well. I believe it is due to automatic tipping. Sorry for your resentment but I gotta call as I sees em.

 

You're right on the mark! The automatic gratuity Princess charges per day per person does NOT incent the dining staff to provide excellent service. I'm curious why Princess implemented auto-tipping in the first place. Is it because passengers were not tipping otherwise? Maybe Princess should wake-up and realize that dining service AND tips would improve if they abolished auto-tipping. :rolleyes:

[coiran]

You obviously missed the point. Princess doesn't do dining room service well. I believe it is due to automatic tipping. Okay, you like the long wait between courses fine. Do you also like wait staff to ignore your empty water glass? Ignore you empty bread basket? Ignore your empty wine glass? You really want the waiters to act as if you are not even there? Or do do expect and appreciate wait staff to genuinely appreciate you as a guest in their restaurant admitably because your are going to tip them but never the less it is better than the bad service you get because the Princess waiter KNOW they will get paid regardless of servuce levels. Sorry for your resentment but I gotta call as I sees em.

 

What are you calling as you see em?? We have been on 23 Princess cruises on various ships, including the Golden. Over 225 days and have had only one isolated experience on slow wait staff on the Emerald. However, it was not the wait staff but the manner in which the head waiter filled the table. Wait staffs have always been "on the ball". But then we have never cruised RCCL and don't want to if we have to get all of our dining courses at once - We can do that in the buffet which we never participate in.

 

I also disagree that it is due to the autotip.

 

Ron

 

Ron

[Perki]

We had Traditional Dining 2nd seating which is what we have done on every cruise and it was very bad service. The food courses did not flow at all. I ordered two appetizers instead of ordering one and a salad (not a salad person) and they brought them to me at the same time instead of one at a time or one when everyone else got appetizers and one when the others got their salads. I have done this many times on different cruises and never had a problem I never had them placed in front of me both at the same time WEIRD! Also after twelve cruises we have always marveled at how the different cruiselines have been able to find us such wonderful tablemates as we always request 8-10 person tables. This time they gave us a table for 6 so only 2 other couples to converse with and we had nothing in common with them at all - we are barely in our 40's and they were both late 60's or more discussing retirement in Florida! Not fun conversation for us nor did they have much for personalities which we always take into consideration over age. We discussed wanting to change tables with the maitre'd and were told the room was booked and would have to do Anytime Dining if we were not happy. So we tried that - that was just as bad. Did find one waiter that was great, Jerry, but his station was booked due to him being so good I am guessing, and the others we encountered there had NO PERSONALITY! My husband and I are very fun and always greet our waiters and servers with smiles and how are you's etc. and barely ever got any response back. When we ordered our dinners on lobster night we told the waiter we would be wanting a second tail as did a couple of others at our table, which the waiter acknowledged. Well after we were done with our plates he just picked them all up and never brought any extra tails back for any of us, just brought the dessert menu! At that point we just ordered dessert as we were over our whole dining experience.

 

I will say we LOVED Sterling's Steakhouse and would even consider just booking there most every night if we could, it is worth the $30 per couple but only with one waiter (I am so sorry I did not get his name but he was from Eastern Europe) that worked the very front tables to the left as you walked in, he was wonderful and we made sure his maitre'd knew that we thought so. We both got the filet and both were cooked perfect and served with some sarcasm from the waiter - finally some fun attitude while on vacation what a concept!

 

This years lack of service in the dining room as well as last years issues - wouldn't give my husband plain old shrimp cocktail in the Crown Room specialty restaurant even though it is served every night in every other dining room and the fact the waiter kept trying to talk me out of the Maine lobster I ordered, and go with the Austrailian lobster tail instead during this same meal - have now put the nail in the coffin as we will not go back to Princess for a cruise again, no matter how good the price may be.

[Ethel5]

You obviously missed the point. Princess doesn't do dining room service well. I believe it is due to automatic tipping. Okay, you like the long wait between courses fine. Do you also like wait staff to ignore your empty water glass? Ignore you empty bread basket? Ignore your empty wine glass? You really want the waiters to act as if you are not even there? Or do do expect and appreciate wait staff to genuinely appreciate you as a guest in their restaurant admitably because your are going to tip them but never the less it is better than the bad service you get because the Princess waiter KNOW they will get paid regardless of servuce levels. Sorry for your resentment but I gotta call as I sees em.

 

I haven't missed the point at all. I have NEVER and I mean NEVER encountered the problems you present. On one cruise the server was overwhelmed and the asst server stepped up to the plate and covered it nicely. There has never been a LONG wait between courses of more than a few minutes. There has never been a time when we didn't give our server and asst server an additional tip above the auto tip. Just remember-you reap what you sow! :) Just as you have reaped the resentment of my being called a zombie.:rolleyes:

[bdjam]

You obviously missed the point. Princess doesn't do dining room service well. I believe it is due to automatic tipping. Okay, you like the long wait between courses fine. Do you also like wait staff to ignore your empty water glass? Ignore you empty bread basket? Ignore your empty wine glass? You really want the waiters to act as if you are not even there? Or do do expect and appreciate wait staff to genuinely appreciate you as a guest in their restaurant admitably because your are going to tip them but never the less it is better than the bad service you get because the Princess waiter KNOW they will get paid regardless of servuce levels. Sorry for your resentment but I gotta call as I sees em.

See my post above. The wait staff in fact KNOWS that you can remove their auto tip.

 

We got the point – your reference to zombies being unable to tell the difference between what you call good and bad service was quite clear.

 

I have never had any of the situations you describe happen to me in a Princess dining room – even when service has been less than excellent, it has still been good. I would suggest it might have something to do with the attitude of the passenger rather than that of the wait staff.

[bdjam]

You're right on the mark! The automatic gratuity Princess charges per day per person does NOT incent the dining staff to provide excellent service. I'm curious why Princess implemented auto-tipping in the first place. Is it because passengers were not tipping otherwise? Maybe Princess should wake-up and realize that dining service AND tips would improve if they abolished auto-tipping. :rolleyes:

Perhaps before labeling a process as undesirable, you should understand how it works first. Did you remove the auto tips from your account because of the poor service you received on board?